1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to the use of handguns, and more particularly to a semi-automatic pistol magazine In one embodied form, the disclosed invention comprises a pistol magazine which fits into the bottom of a pistol's hand-grip in a conventional manner and curves up and around the hand in a prescribed orientation so as to provide optimal storage capacity without reducing pistol manageability or balance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Those skilled in the art have long recognized the importance of ammunition magazines. A magazine stores a number of bullets and sequentially feeds them into a firing position within the firearm. Usually, but not always, a magazine is designed as a cartridge into which the bullets are arranged sideways in a row. A tensile pressure is exerted upon the row by means of a spring which advances the array of bullets further as the empty cartridge of each fired bullet is discarded.
Various ammunition magazines have been described in the prior art that have allowed the possibility of improved ammunition magazine design.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,042,837 describes a pistol magazine which fits into the bottom of a pistol handle, as conventional magazines do, and protrudes from the bottom of the pistol grip in the form of a spiraling chamber. Bullets are sequentially pushed into firing position by means of the tensile force of a spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 122,182 describes a magazine that uses a spring to push bullets nose-first through a chamber which circumscribes the bottom surface of the pistol and curves up and around the back of the pistol.
U.S. Pat. No. 696,539 describes a design for a pistol and magazine combination in which the magazine cartridge slopes downward and feeds into the side of a revolver's barrel. The bullets slide along the declivity of the magazine's interior and drop directly into the barrel of the revolver which is specially designed to receive the bullets laterally through holes in the side of the barrel.
U.S. Pat. No. 964,419 describes a highly elaborate magazine design that transfers bullets nose-first by means of a conveyor belt which is actually built into the body of a firearm as a part of an integrated magazine-pistol system.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,308,665 describes a magazine for a pistol which is basically a very long flexible chamber that attaches to the belt of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,147,208 describes a system of magazine design comprising a ring of separate magazines arranged around a turnstile. As each magazine is exhausted the turnstile is rotated to position a new magazine below the pistol's handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 386,535 describes a magazine design in which a chain of bullets is pulled from a spiral inside of a cylinder on the bottom of a firearm.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,114,311 describes a relatively complex set of machinery for a magazine extension that extends directly behind the handle of the firearm.
U.S. Pat. No. 226,560 relates to a method of making a magazine cartridge in which the magazine is curved presumably as a means of reducing much of the problem that would be associated with the long, straight magazine. However, this magazine is like the others in that it extends directly under and behind the pistol in a backward direction parallel to the pistol.